Houston Red Bulls
The Houston Red Bulls are a Reddit League Baseball team based in Houston, Texas. Founded in 2014 as the Houston Colt .45's, the team was later purchased and renamed by Austrian billionaire and co-owner of the Red Bull energy drink company Dietrich Mateschitz. The Red Bulls currently compete in the Heartland Division of the Western Conference. The team won it's first The Ring in franchise history in 2053. Franchise history League Formation and Early Success (2014 - 2033) Formed with the creation of the Reddit Baseball League, the Houston Colt .45's were one of the founding franchises in 2014. Among the notable players to join the team from the dying other professional baseball league was catcher Kevin Jenkins (future Hall of Famer) and starting pitcher Bonifazio Geccerelli. Both would be instrumental to Houston's early days in the RLB. The team would see consistent success, making the playoffs for five straight seasons and locking down their first division title in 2017. A team built on timely hitting and a dominant rotation saw another playoff appearance in 2023 but that would be the last time the team made the playoffs for a very long time. After the wild card appearance in 2023, the Houston organization would undergo a long dark period. For the next 15 year the team would see two general manager changes and with both came changes in methodology and organization. But both would be instrumental. Hirosme Hired (2034 - 2035) January 4th, 2034 would be the first change in organization leadership with longtime General Manager TheDictator stepping down. He would be replaced by Hirosme. Hirosme's tenure in Houston would be short-lived but no less instrumental. He wasted no time in putting his mark on Houston, making a stunning trade with the Tijuana Tacos organization for Russian outcast pitching prospect Jurg Eneev. The price? $1 American. One George Washington greenback. Alhough Jurg Eneev would undergo several procedures on his arm and never reach the pinnacle of pitching greatness that the entire RLB feared he would, he still was effective and would retire with respectable numbers. His effect on Houston was even greater. He would be a part of the growth in Houston. Hirosme would last two seasons in Houston, setting the groundwork for the team with such deals as the infamous Jurg Eneev trade with the Tijuana Tacos, the development of Cesar Douda within the Houston farm system, and the trading of John Bray for Jae-hong Lee. In total, Hirosme would sadly be remembered for his drafting ineffectiveness. In two years at the helm of the franchise, he would draft a total of three players who would retire with a career war of greater than five. With ownership feeling like the team was not moving quickly enough, Hirosme was not extended after the 2035 season and the team moved in another direction. Noah Weezy Hired (2036) The initial signing of Noah Weezy to the general manager position was met with indifference throughout the league. He preached a pitching focused strategy with an emphasis on drafting talent over need. Noah's first 3 drafts would see the GM draft 3 players who would end their careers with over 14 war, including notable draft pick Robert Terry in the 2037 draft at the #10 pick of the first round. And 2038 would be the year. Rebrand and First The Ring Appearance (2036 - 2038) At the end of the 2037 season, a new ownership group would purchase the Houston Colt .45's. Red Bull GmbH from Austria with their ambitious owner Dietrich Mateschitz finalized the purchase on December 19th, 2037, and their branding team instantly transformed the organization into the Houston Red Bulls. Seemingly given wings by new ownership, the Houston Red Bulls entered 2038 energized. And, with the likes of Jurg Eneev and Cesar Douda leading the rotation, the Houston Red Bulls would take the Origin League by storm and drive into the playoffs for the first time in fifteen years. With stellar defense and a strong mix of timely hitting, the team would make it all the way to the The Ring, falling to the Motor City Madmen 4-2. But the curse was seemingly broken. Second The Ring Appearance (2039 - 2042) Houston wouldn't see themselves in the playoffs again for another 4 years as the team underwent dramatic changes. Jurg Eneev was shipped to the Nashville Gamblers and his position as the ace of the Houston staff was taken by Cesar Douda who was now complimented by Rule 5 pick Yazeed Karif. Led by stellar pitching and a strong core of drafted players including Robert Terry, Reilley Guy and Kendrick Walburn, Houston would return to the The Ring, this time facing the Chicago Railmen. Up 3-1 in the series, the team would lose the remaining three games to Chicago, ending in the humiliating defeat at home in game 7 where the team was up 3-0 in the 9th inning with 1 out before infamous reliever Aleksandr Kauzov would surrender 4 straight runs and lose the game for Houston. Kauzov would retire one year later in shame. First Rebuild Begins (2044 - 2049) After the The Ring appearance and collapse in 2042, the Houston organization would push for continued success in 2043 but ultimately fall short. At the end of 2043, seeing his team aging, GM Noah Weezy approached Red Bull ownership with a five year plan. It would not be easy but the ownership group agreed with Noah's assessment of the team and he was given the greenlight to teardown the team one year removed from the The Ring and rebuild. Cesar Douda would refuse to negotiate with the Houston leadership after hearing of plans to rebuild and entered Free Agency in 2045. Yazeed Karif and Reilley Guy were among the players traded off for pieces and Houston would regularly move picks and prospects to trade up into the top 3 of the draft for the next three years. But it wouldn't take long for the first piece of the puzzle to fall into place. In 2044, Houston would select several keys pieces, among them SP Nathan Bly who would go on to be the best pitcher in Houston history. In 2045, Houston drafted LF Gonzalo Delahaye 4th overall. 2046 saw Denis Glushakov taken 2nd overall. 2047 saw Andriy Shevchenkov taken 3rd overall. With these core pieces in the organization, Houston began to build a foundation for being competitive for longer than one year. Rebuild Payoff (2049 - 2054) The fruits of those long nights would finally appear in 2049 as Houston would reach the playoffs via wildcard. Though they would lose to the eventual champion, the experience for the young team was vital. 2051 saw Houston win their first division title in 9 years as they would again lose to the eventual champions. With a strong core of players developed in Houston's organization and with 4 playoff appearances in 6 years, Houston would win their second division title in 3 years and start their playoff march. A notable shrewd deal for Khris Lorenzo stood out as a key piece to their run in 2053. They would sweep the San Francisco Friars, then defeat the Salt Lake City Saltshakers to finally arrive at the The Ring for the third time in the organization's history. And against an old nemesis as well. The Chicago Railmen Although the entire team was new and had no memory of 2042, eleven years previous, GM Noah Weezy remembered. In what can only be described as a tight battle to the finish, the series again went to seven games with the Houston Red Bulls winning their first RLB The Ring. 2054: Epilogue Houston would make the playoffs again the next year, once again defeating the San Francisco Friars in the division series only to lose to the Salt Lake City Saltshakers in the Western Conference Pennant series 4-1. The organization has since moved forwards with plans for another rebuild, though management and leadership has stressed it will not be a five year plan. Already, notable Houston players have been dealt including Khris Lorenzo to the Colorado Dodos and Nathan Bly to the Roswell Greys. Notable Current and Former Players Notable Players * Doug Carlson * Ray Mills * Jurg Eneev * Cesar Douda * Yazeed Karif * Nathan Bly * Andriy Shevchenkov * Denis Glushakov * Reilley Guy * Robert Terry * Gonzalo Delahaye Hall of Famers Players and managers listed in '''bold' are depicted on their Hall of Fame plaques wearing a Colt 45s or Red Bulls cap insignia.'' Retired Numbers GM - Hirosme "$1 Jurg" 6 - Bonifazio "Crayon" Geccerelli 41 - Kevin "The Goat" Jenkins Historical Logos and Uniforms Houston colt 45s.png|Houston Colt 45's Primary Logo 2014-2037 Houston colt 45s small.png|Houston Colt 45's Alternate Logo 2014-2037 Houston red bulls small.png|Houston Red Bulls Alternate Logo 2038-Present Player 5218.png|Houston Colt 45's Home/Away Uniform 2014-2037 Player 32023.png|Houston Red Bulls Home Uniform 2038-Present Player 29058.png|Houston Red Bulls Away Uniform 2038-Present Minor league affiliations GM History Links Team Home Page Category:RLB Teams Category:Teams